Virago 500cc?

[sunhuntin]

i have the opportunity to possibly buy a 500 virago, an 83 i think. what are peoples experiences of this cc v-go? reliable? well wearing/lasting? able to cope with high milage in a short amount of time?

i wouldnt be able to ride it for a while due to license, but would likely use it for long haul, and keep the 250 for round town.

just broke 10,000k on the 98, bringing the milage to 48,100. thats in less than a year as well [clicked 39,000 just getting in invercargill last year] YAY!

[Shadows]

All things being equal, better in the longevity stakes than the 250 version I'd imagine. A bigger engine does less work.

[Mr. Peanut]

Live a little and get something faster? ;)

[Hitcher]

It's a Yamaha. They're all good.

[xwhatsit]

The electric starter is notorious, and there's no kickstart to back it up.

It mostly just gets super rattly and has mega play in it, eventually terminating, although a member on this site just recently posted up how his starter shaft actually sheared right off.

[sunhuntin]

The electric starter is notorious, and there's no kickstart to back it up.

It mostly just gets super rattly and has mega play in it, eventually terminating, although a member on this site just recently posted up how his starter shaft actually sheared right off.

how easy is that to replace, and with the bike being an 83, what are the chances its already been replaced or in need of?

[Nasty]

Not sure about the starter .. although mos of the parts seem to be exchangable wih the 535 which came out a year later. On this bike the clutch and the alternator have both been worked on in the last year.

[sunhuntin]

Not sure about the starter .. although mos of the parts seem to be exchangable wih the 535 which came out a year later. On this bike the clutch and the alternator have both been worked on in the last year.

sweet as, nasty. im really hoping to be able to buy your bike... got some ideas in mind for her... lol. just trying to get an idea of any troubles others have had as far as parts wearing goes. :niceone:

*dreams of a custom paint job*

[xwhatsit]

how easy is that to replace, and with the bike being an 83, what are the chances its already been replaced or in need of?

All I know (from a Usenet discussion) is that there was a service bulletin for the starter in USA; no idea if they did the same thing here, but if they did, and the machine has always been a `shop service' kind of bike, one would assume so.

If it's a 1983 bike, and has already got a few kilometres on it, you probably would've expected that problem to occur already. Just listen when you start the bike; if it sounds like a Ducati dry clutch gone horribly wrong, then you should probably learn how to bump start a bike :niceone:

[sunhuntin]

cheers for that... man o man, i so hope things go right! begin work on the stable! lol.

she would always be shop serviced with me, since i wouldnt have a clue how to do anything more than polish, lol.

[lemure]

she would always be shop serviced with me, since i wouldnt have a clue how to do anything more than polish, lol.

Nothing wrong with that - just more expensive. You could do a google search for a service manual if one doesn't come with it. Things like oil changes are quite simple provided you get the right bits and don't mind getting your hands dirty.

If you're thinking of touring/long distance, then I'd look at a bigger bike - around 750'd be better.

But whatever, when you're allowed to ride it, take some time for familiarisation - it'll act differently than your 250. Then enjoy...

[sunhuntin]

Nothing wrong with that - just more expensive. You could do a google search for a service manual if one doesn't come with it. Things like oil changes are quite simple provided you get the right bits and don't mind getting your hands dirty.

If you're thinking of touring/long distance, then I'd look at a bigger bike - around 750'd be better.

But whatever, when you're allowed to ride it, take some time for familiarisation - it'll act differently than your 250. Then enjoy...

thanks for that... currently my 250 is my run-about and also tourer. already done invers and back once, and will do it again this year. so an extra 250cc will be much bigger, lol.

i might sit in next time im getting a service done, and see what they do. i dont mind in the slightest getting dirty... at work i spend half the time checking oil and water in cars... so it kinda sucks i know more about basic car maintinence than i do about bikes, lol.

ill also try and get over to a basic maintinence evening like the hawkes bay crew threw... i was stuck at work that day.